Preview: Mexico City ePrix

FIA Formula E celebrates a special premiere this weekend. The world’s most innovative racing series will guest in Mexico City for the first time. Literally on new shores!

Formula E presented a show run of a special kind in preparation for the fifth race of the season. A Formula E racing car sailed through Xochimilco canals on a traditional Trajinera - one of the famous Mexican riverboats.

A great experience for spectators and at the same time symbolic of the union between modern technology with the traditional environment. „The idea of Formula E came about from the necessity to have a sustainable platform to promote motorsport,“ said Alberto Longo, deputy CEO and managing director at Formula E. „We are trying to showcase the improvement and advances in alternative energies and future technologies to eventually arrive at a point where all cars will one day be electric.“

Around nine million people live in Mexico City itself, while some 21 million inhabit the metropolitan area of the Mexican capital, making Mexico City one of the so-called megacities. They aren’t just notable for their size - they’re also hives of tremendous economic activity.

Formula E in the heart of the Mexican capital serves as the perfect advertising vehicle for sustainable energy sources. According to a report from the Federal Electricity Commission, there are currently only 200 pure electric vehicles on the streets of Mexico. So this is exactly the right place for the impressive Formula E show!

Mexico is becoming one of the most advanced countries in Central America. Let’s take a good example: The new airport set to replace Benito Juarez International from 2020 is planning on becoming the most sustainable in the world by collecting its own energy and water. Mexico already has one of the fastest developing transportation systems in the world with accessibility and cheap fares taking emphasis.

Tradition will meet modernity as Formula E debuts in Mexico City. The race will be staged in the highly regarded Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez which was inaugurated on December 20th 1959. The 2.092-kilometer circuit which Formula E will use can hold some 40,000 fans.

"I love it because there is one part that is actually a stadium,“ said local favorite Salvador Duran. „The configuration of the track means that we go through there on two occasions and I think all the people there are going to be so excited because being in the stadium, the excitement is going to be contagious! The fans here are really loud! But it’s not only about the cars, it’s also about the show Formula E brings to every single place it goes to."

The close title race will enter the next phase on the shortest circuit on the racing calendar. Sebastien Buemi leads the overall standings just before the half-way stage in the championship. The Renault e.dams driver has a lead of only four points on his closest rival, Lucas di Grassi. Both drivers have produced amazing performances since the start of the season. Buemi has won two of the four races so far, while di Grassi has finished on the podium in all four ePrix fixtures.

„Four podiums in a row make for a terrific series, "said ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport driver di Grassi. "It demonstrates our strong teamwork and shows that we are on the right track. But we have to work even harder and not suffer the slightest setback if we want to take the top spot. We come extremely well prepared to Mexico." So fans can already start looking forward to another top-class title battle.